Amazon will soon announce the winner of its HQ2 parade, with one city emerging victorious to get on the back of Jeff Bezos and ride him like Secretariat for the Triple Crown. There are all sorts of interesting statistics on what an Amazon HQ will do the economy of the city it picks and even recently there were odds thrown out with Boston as the 5/1 to favorite. If sports betting becomes legal in time in all states, would you take this bet? One financial decision to consider now in the cities that believe they have a chance to reel in Amazon for HQ2 is whether or not to buy real estate betting that prices will soar through the roof like they have in Seattle over the past five to ten years. The bet is to get in the real estate now before prices explode after the announcement. It’s almost like betting on an earnings report on Wall Street or ...

When people start investing money, one of the exercises they engage in is determining their own risk tolerance. Usually, this process is handled by filling out some sort of questionnaire that has multiple choice questions like the one below. ‘If you had $10,000 to invest, would you….’ Be willing to chance earning 30% growth knowing you could lose 30% Be willing to chance earning 10% growth knowing you could lose only 5% Be willing to lose nothing knowing you could earn no more than 5% We often whisk through these quizzes at a blazing pace because in a simulation exercise we know exactly who we are. However, there are two types of behaviors that we have within our personality. How we act in a natural state when we are relaxed and have no pressure. Then, there is the adaptive state when we are under heavy pressure. Unfortunately, these quizzes don’t really put us under any pressure so they don’t really ...

As much discussion as there is about trying to control the cost of college education, just talk to any parent who is paying to deal with college that no gravity is defying this rising cost. Amidst all of the projections you read on the college websites, when you add in the cost of your family travel, stops at the bookstore, and home care packages, the overall cost to send your child away for a four-year degree could cost you a long delay in your retirement. In the mid 1990’s Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code was created. In 1997 (just twenty years ago) Section 529 was amended by the Taxpayer Relief Act, which provided a handful of higher education tax incentives including the deductibility of student loan interest. We know how much children are struggling with student loans, and in 2001 the earnings on 529 plans became completely tax free if they were used for college. As people learn ...

It has become clear that the new gold rush people are talking about is the Bitcoin. The problem is that most people have no ideas what the Bitcoin is exactly, how it works, or the way that a transaction happens with this currency. When they start talking about the Bitcoin on major TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, then you know it’s time to get educated about this kind of investment before you jump into the deep end with your portfolio. Here is your guide on five things you need to know about the Bitcoin before you invest your money. What Is The Bitcoin? In the simplest of terms, the Bitcoin is a digital currency peer to peer online payment system. It is created through something called block chain technology, but at its heart it is simply a peer to peer payment system. What makes something like the Bitcoin unique to modern currency is that there is no central ...

Almost a year after President Trump was elected to office, none of the main agenda bills have passed in Congress. With Thanksgiving looming around the corner for a Congress shut down here in 2017, one of the big questions will be whether the major tax bill passes before the end of the year. This single tax plan could have a big effect on how the market finishes here in 2017 and its potential impact into 2018. Here are the key points you should know about the current Trump Tax Plan. Businesses Get The Biggest Cut The current proposal is to reduce the tax rate of “C” Corporations (currently mostly large corporation) to move from the current 35% down to 20%. Consider this impact for a company that makes $20 billion dollars and currently pays $7 billion dollars in taxes. Those companies would in theory get back another $3 billion dollars in freed up cash flow. The current proposal still considers ...

Not everyone has a big lump sum of money or some family inheritance to invest when they get started. In fact, the very reason many people don’t get started investing is because they don’t feel they have enough money. With the power of some cool apps and the internet, there are many ways to get started investing even if you don’t have $100. Here are five ways to start investing for less than $100 Is It Time To Call RobinHood? RobinHood is an app that is catching on with those who are just starting to open an investment account, especially those people who want to buy stocks. This platform has zero minimum investment (well, you will have to invest something to be able to buy some stocks) and it also is a zero commission trading platform. There are some regulatory trading charges that are minimal in cost, so this could be a decent opportunity to get started as a basic ...

The football season is upon us again here as the fall rolls around and neighborhoods and workplaces are buzzing with Fantasy Football fever. The Fantasy Trade Sports Association commented that the Fantasy Football market is more than a 70 billion dollar industry today and growing. With so many people joining multiple leagues, what can this popular game teach us about how we manage our portfolios and diversify our assets. Do Your Homework? It’s shocking how many people don’t know what they own in their 401(k), IRA, or their brokerage accounts. You may have purchased a target fund or some growth and income fund, but you don’t actually know what you own. Moreover, you may not understand the risks on how much you could gain in one year or how much you could potentially lose in one year. It’s important to read the prospectus before you invest, look at the track record of the investment you will be making, and learn ...

One of the worst feelings in the world is to worry about retirement especially after you have retired. Recently, I sat down with someone who kept telling me they worried about running out of money. The fear was so real that it was preventing them from even enjoying the few trips and vacations they were taking during retirement. The reason we plan and track during retirement so often is to ensure that you don’t ruin your retirement. If you are in your 40’s, 50’s or 60’s and thinking about retiring soon, here are five ways you can ruin your retirement. Carrying Too Much Debt A Large Mortgage (Too Much Refinancing) – While refinancing seems like a no brainer where rates are today, you need to consider looking at a 15-year loan vs. 30-year loan so you don’t carry a mortgage into retirement. This can be a real problem if you don’t have the same level of income to pay a ...

sponsored by Midland National With the markets hitting an all-time high the other week soaring over 21,000, many people have been asking this question, “when is the market going to decline?” While nobody has a crystal ball, it might be time to start thinking about where you could put your money if you are concerned that the markets are going to decline in the 2nd half of 2017. Here are four alternatives to consider for your money to consider if that happens. Cash – Remember, return of principal can sometimes be better than return on principal especially while the markets are spiraling on a downward trend. Even though your average savings account may pay .20% to .40%, you could leave your money in an FDIC insured account and then slowly dollar cost average your way back into the overall market. You could also consider using Certificates of Deposit (CD’s) as an alternative cash idea if you don’t want to leave ...

sponsored by Midland National You have made it to Las Vegas and settled into your favorite hotel. After a few quality minutes of checking out your luxurious room, you decide it’s time to hit the main gambling floor. Choices, choices. You walk by the sports book, past the slots, the screaming at the craps table, and you wind up sitting down to play your favorite game – blackjack. So, what in the world can playing blackjack teach you about your retirement? More importantly, HOW can blackjack teach you one of the most valuable lessons about protecting your retirement assets? Blackjack is an interesting game. It’s part strategy and part social chatting depending on whether the dealer is giving you a run of easy cards to play or a set of more difficult choices depending on what the dealer doles you out. In a perfect world, you would be getting blackjack after blackjack (or 21 after 21), but in reality you’ll ...

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